Reports indicate that medicinal marijuana may be used to treat a variety of symptoms related to disease. Marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for: chronic pain associated fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis; chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; neurological problems such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, other types of muscle spasms, and Parkinson's disease; anorexia from chemotherapy or other diseases; anxiety, depression; post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); insomnia; and, symptoms in patients diagnosed with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease.
Recent legalization of medicinal marijuana, or medicinal cannabis, in countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, as well as in some states in the U.S.A., has increased the presence of this pharmaceutical in homes. As such, instances of accidental ingestion of this medicinal product, especially by children, have been on the rise. The deleterious effects in children are typically more serious as THC concentration in medicinal marijuana are generally higher than found in marijuana used for recreational purposes. For example, in severe circumstances, children that accidentally ingested cannabis have required assisted ventilation or have even entered into a coma as described in Macnab, A. Anderson, E and Susak, L. “Ingestion of cannabis: A cause of coma in children.” Pediatric emergency care 5.4 (1989):238-239).
Other medications also pose a risk to those with access. As the population ages, more medication is available in more medicine cabinets and prone to intentional or accidental misuse. This has become quite problematic, with a large number of illnesses and overdoses related to inappropriate prescription drug use other than by the intended patient or other than as instructed.
It is desirable to develop a composition that can limit bioavailability of some medical ingredients, such as tetrahydrocannabinol, when the composition comes into contact with a subject in a manner other than originally intended.